Ohio Wanderlust

Last night Dave and I traveled to Hudson to attend the 8th Annual Hudson Wine Festival. Tickets can be purchased  online  for $22.00 (save $2.00 on each ticket with the code ROEB) or for $27.00 at the event.  Each ticket will get you a complimentary Hudson Wine Festival tasting glass as well as tickets for ten tastings. The event also has $10.00 designated driver tickets (you'll receive two tickets to be redeemed for pop or water) and guests under 21 get in free with a guest who pays for admission.Proceeds from the Hudson Wine Festival go to organizations dedicated to increasing "awareness and support for animal welfare and military support organizations in Northeast Ohio." The Hudson Wine Festival takes place in the First & Main shopping district of Hudson, just park somewhere in the area, there's plenty of street parking, and then follow the signs to the event. Each of us purchased a ticket to the event so we had 20 tasting tickets. Most wi...

Dave and I love hiking at the various Summit County Metro Parks. I follow their Facebook page and have been seeing wonderful photos from the Springfield Bog Metro Park. The bog is full of wild flowers and wild life right now and has been listed as a birding hot spot on several lists. One word of caution, you need to wear bug spray. We were incredibly careless and I ended up with over twenty mosquito bites -- don't be like me, enjoy the bog with a little bit of protection.  The bog has one easy 1.6 mile hike, the path is unpaved, but easy to navigate. Due to all of the rain we've been having, it is a little muddy right now, but nothing unmanageable.  There are wildflowers galore, it is absolutely stunning to see so many different colors and types all in one place. We were particularly keeping an eye out for indigo buntings, but we spotted several other birds instead. Hello to the cardinal, state bird of Ohio. We worked our way through the park a...

New Baltimore has always been my favorite place to get ice cream. My parents used to take us there when we were young and the tradition of going several times throughout the summer is something that I've continued. All of their ice cream is homemade and the flavors rotate continuously. The best way to stay up to date on their flavor options is to check out their Facebook page , they post photo updates of the menu board at each location (there are two, one in Hartville and one in Uniontown) that way if they run out of a flavor and switch to something different, you'll have the most accurate information. We were there last Saturday and the menu has already changed quite a bit since then, but here's an example of some of the flavors. My favorite is Irish Creme, I'm going to need to make another trip to New Baltimore before the summer is over once they have that flavor in the rotation. Something important to remember is that New Baltimore only takes cash, no...

The Hartville Flea Market is open Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 9:00am-5:00pm. The market is open year round and includes both an indoor and outdoor portion. The day we went was a gorgeous sunny day, so we spent the bulk of our time exploring the outdoor potion which can hold up to 800 vendors. Spaces are rented on a first come, first serve basis, so the vendors will vary. The cover photo is a spoon bracelet created by Two Twisted Gypsies . I've linked their Etsy shop if you're interested in making a purchase, Dave talked me out of a spoon bracelet, but I will likely be ordering one in the future. They were one of my favorite vendors that we saw on Saturday, their jewelry was incredibly original and would be a perfect statement piece. Due to the variety of vendors, you never know what you'll find, like these $3 nun-chucks.  Dave and I feel in love with this Ohio sign and made it our next purchase. The Hartville Flea Market is one of...